Greek Word Study, Part III

31)Aaron- Aaron/ The name is spelled exactly the same in English and in Greek. It is, of course, the name of Moses’ brother Aaron who served as the high priest for the Israelites in the wilderness.
32)abba- father/ Abba refers to God and our heavenly Father. The word abba today is often reflected as a term of endearment towards a father, sometimes interpreted as “daddy.” Although I desire to be close to God, I cannot think of the heavenly Father God as “daddy,” like my earthly father. He is …”my Father, who art in heaven.”
33)paraclete- Holy Spirit, along side of/ This beautiful Greek word for the Holy Spirit reminds us of the closeness of the Godhead, and that He is right with us and beside us. God is a friend who sticks closer than a brother………..but ONLY when we OBEY Him!
34)sarkikos- of the flesh, carnal/ This term refers to our natural fallen proclivity towards sin. We live in the flesh. No one has to teach us how to sin…..it comes naturally. We make an effort to ….”walk in the spirit so that we will not commit the sins of the flesh.”
35)soteria- salvation/ This word deals with the most important doctrine of salvation. Hence the word soteriology deals with the study of the teaching of salvation. The Greek root of soteria is soter which refers to the Savior Himself– the Lord Jesus Christ!
36)diakonos- servant, deacon/ This term can refer to either an ordained deacon or to anyone who is practicing in the capacity of a servant. Interestingly, a deacon is to be a humble servant who assists his pastor with the needs of the church. Today, however, the office is often abused and the one filling the role of deacon can undermine his pastor’s ministry or overstep his position within the church. An example of diakonos that is not an ordained deacon but a servant, is Phebe in Romans 16:1. Phebe was a lady who served the Lord. We should all be servants in whatever way the Lord would have us to.
37)poimen- pastor, shepherd/ This is the first of the three offices of a pastor, referring to his role as a shepherd. Actually he is an undershepherd of the Great Shepherd Jesus Christ. He is a protector of the flock and is watchful of false doctrine, Jezebels, false prophets and those who water down sin and abuse God’s grace. (Jude 4) In the apostate church of the end times, the pastor who takes his calling seriously has a full time job.
38)presbuteros- senior, elder/ Can you not see the root of the word Presbyterian here? This is the role of the pastor as an elder. We also use the term “senior pastor” which refers to the leading and head pastor in the church. The Presbyterian denomination is especially noted for their emphasis on doing things correctly and in good order.
39)episkopos- bishop, overseer/ The third term for a pastor refers to his role as a supervisor. The word supervisor literally means “above the eye” as a leader observes and evaluates the church. Perhaps you have heard of bishop T.D. Jakes who pastors a church, writes books and speaks in conferences. The term is totally Biblical and used to describe a pastor in the book of I Timothy, chapter 3 in the King James Version. One can easily see too, that this Greek transliteration is the root for the Episcopal church, just like the former presbuteros is the root word for the Presbyterian denomination.
40)homilia- communication, homily/ This term can be used to describe a sermon. The Catholic Church often describes their sermons as homilies. In current Protestant usage, it sometimes refers to a sermon in a negative sense, inferring a boring and intellectual discourse, devoid of the anointing and unction of the Holy Spirit.
41)hermeneutics- science of Bible interpretation/ Seminary students are exposed to this study in order to understand the Bible as a whole. Some of the breakdowns of hermeneutical studies would be dispensations, numerology, the first mention principle, Christology, and the progression and the development of the church to name a few.
42)koinonia- unity, fellowship/ This is the atmosphere whereby the Holy Spirit unites the brethren in love and harmony. In order for this to prevail, there must be an attitude to repent when we fail, and to forgive when others fail. Love is the foundation of koinonia.
43)logos- the Word/ This incredible Greek word was coined in Ephesus around 450 B.C. It means everything we can know about God. The word is used extensively in John 1:1-14. “The word became flesh and dwelt amongst us.” The Greeks did not know it when the word originated, but it is the perfect word to describe the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the full manifestation of the Godhead who walked among men.
44)kurios- Lord/ Christians use this word to describe our Lord and Savior. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one we submit to. He is our Master and our King. He is the One we are to emulate.
45)amen- trustworthy, surely/ After we hear a speaker strike a profound truth that we agree with, we say “amen,” i.e. “so be it.” Again, the Greek and English spellings are identical.
46)anthrax- a live coal, coal of fire/ Today, the word reminds us solely of the deadly chemical agent that is often used in terror attacks, and we can easily observe the word etymology in the original Greek progressing to our use of the word today. Again, the spellings are the same.
47)anti- opposite/ This prefix is universal and always means against or opposite. Note the “anti” words immediately below:
48)antithesis- opposite, conflict of theories/ An example would be that the antithesis of creationism is evolution.
49)Antichristos- opponent of the Messiah/ We get the word Antichrist from the original Greek, which means the archenemy of Jesus Christ.
50)apistia- unfaithful/ We derive the word “apostate” from the Greek, which means a church which has fallen away from the truth.

I am a pastor of a Southern Baptist Church. My wife and I are empty nesters, having raised our four children, two boys and two girls. We are born again Christians, and believe the Bible is our road map for life, and God's manual for our earthly journey. Philippians 1:21 "To live is Christ, to die is gain."